Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude
| Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||
| region | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | |
| Department | law | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Claude | |
| Canton | Saint-Claude | |
| Community association | Haut-Jura Saint-Claude | |
| Coordinates | 46 ° 23 ' N , 5 ° 51' E | |
| height | 580-917 m | |
| surface | 7.83 km 2 | |
| Residents | 383 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 49 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 39200 | |
| INSEE code | 39032 | |
Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude is a municipality in the French department of Jura in the region Bourgogne Franche-Comté .
geography
Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude is located at 729 m , about two kilometers west of the city of Saint-Claude (as the crow flies). The village extends in the Jura , in a panoramic position on a slope sloping to the southeast high above the valley of the Bienne directly above the basin of Saint-Claude.
The area of the 7.83 km² municipal area covers a section of the French Jura. The eastern border runs about halfway between Saint-Claude and Avignon on the steep western slope of the Bienne. From here the community area extends westward over the cleared island of Avignon to the approximately two kilometers wide and four kilometers long, predominantly wooded ridge of the Forêt d'Avignon , which geologically forms an anticline of the Jura . On this ridge, the highest point of Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude is reached with 917 m . This anticline is bounded both in the northeast and in the southwest by deeply incised breakthrough valleys of the Bienne, with the municipality boundary running above the steep drop. The municipality is part of the Upper Jura Regional Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura ).
Neighboring communities of Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude are Saint-Claude in the north, east and south and Ponthoux and Coteaux du Lizon with Cuttura in the west.
history
The origin of the place name is not clearly established. One theory is that in the 13th century the abbot of Saint-Claude had masons from the Order of the Pontifes of Saint-Bénézet near Avignon to build two bridges over the Bienne and Tacon. Some of them stayed in the region and founded the settlement, which they named after their homeland, Avignon. Together with Franche-Comté , the village came to France with the Peace of Nijmegen in 1678. For 1973 a merger with Saint-Claude was up for discussion; however, this was not carried out.
Attractions
The village church was built in the 17th century.
population
| Population development | |
|---|---|
| year | Residents |
| 1962 | 136 |
| 1968 | 166 |
| 1975 | 164 |
| 1982 | 319 |
| 1990 | 361 |
| 1999 | 309 |
| 2004 | 337 |
With 383 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude is one of the small communities in the Jura department. After the population in the first half of the 20th century had always been around 170 people, a significant increase in population has been recorded since the mid-1970s.
Economy and Infrastructure
Avignon-lès-Saint-Claude was for a long time a village dominated by agriculture , especially cattle and dairy farming, and forestry. A turnery was part of the traditional craft. A diamond grinding shop founded in 1884 was shut down in 1960. Today there are some local small businesses. In the meantime, the village has turned into a residential community thanks to its attractive location. Many workers are commuters who work in the larger towns in the area, especially in nearby Saint-Claude.
The village is located away from the larger thoroughfares. The only access is from Saint-Claude.
